CVanderploeg
AH member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2013
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 9
- Member of
- SCI, NRA
- Hunted
- USA, RSA
First of all I want to thank all of you on here with so much knowledge to share. I have been stalking these forums for a year and a half or more. My father and I have talked about hunting Africa for about as long as I can remember. Life happens and time goes by fast. My father is in his mid 60's and has had some health issues. If we are going to go we have to go soon, so we start getting serious.
We book the hunt with Hartzview safaris for a seven day hunt. Travel express and riflepermits.com help us get there.
It was early August and I have the task of getting my father to the other side of the world. The flights and paperwork are flawless. They did a great job for us.
We fly to Joburg and overnight. We stay with Journey's Inn and they were incredible. We had a great meal of lamb chops and a couple drinks at the honor bar. They even brought us hot water bottles for our beds on a cool night. It was so nice especially as tired as we were. The next day...on to Kimberly.
We land at night and get pick up and head to the camp. Hunting starts the next morning. Our adrenaline is at an all time high even though we are exhausted. Even when we arrived way past dinner time there was a great dinner waiting for us.
The next morning we go to the range to check our rifles. I have a 375H&H with a lower power scope. I am on. My father who happens to be blind in one eye and limited vision out of the other. Can't hit anything. My heart starts to sink. He could hit his target just a few days before... I turns out his scope is broken. They loan him a rifle for the hunt.
He is hunting from a hide. He is not very moble. Two open heart surgerys, replacement knee, limited mobility, and fairly deaf...on top of being drug through airports half way around the world. This is not a propblem for them as they put him on a hide over water.
My first day hunting was one of my worst days ever. I saw lots of great game but could not shoot. I missed two impalas clean at 120 yards and I wounded a blue wildebeast. I was as low as I can be. I can shoot. My rifle hits..But not that day. I had lost confidence in myself and my gun. I know my gun if fine in my heart. So it is just me. I left a wounded animal in the field. At this time I was at a very low point.
The next day Ockert gets to camp. This is the PF I will hunt with for the rest of my trip. He helped my climb out of my low and suggested I used a rifle with a more powerful scope and he loaned a 300 winmag to me. We went to the range and then out hunting.
After that gained my confidence back and here are the results…
I could go on forever about this hunt. The people at Hartzview are incredible. Ockert, Jacques, and the rest are second to none. The accomidations were fantastic. We ate like kings. The chef Herbert is a master of his craft.
We plan on going back in 2016 and hunting with them again.
We book the hunt with Hartzview safaris for a seven day hunt. Travel express and riflepermits.com help us get there.
It was early August and I have the task of getting my father to the other side of the world. The flights and paperwork are flawless. They did a great job for us.
We fly to Joburg and overnight. We stay with Journey's Inn and they were incredible. We had a great meal of lamb chops and a couple drinks at the honor bar. They even brought us hot water bottles for our beds on a cool night. It was so nice especially as tired as we were. The next day...on to Kimberly.
We land at night and get pick up and head to the camp. Hunting starts the next morning. Our adrenaline is at an all time high even though we are exhausted. Even when we arrived way past dinner time there was a great dinner waiting for us.
The next morning we go to the range to check our rifles. I have a 375H&H with a lower power scope. I am on. My father who happens to be blind in one eye and limited vision out of the other. Can't hit anything. My heart starts to sink. He could hit his target just a few days before... I turns out his scope is broken. They loan him a rifle for the hunt.
He is hunting from a hide. He is not very moble. Two open heart surgerys, replacement knee, limited mobility, and fairly deaf...on top of being drug through airports half way around the world. This is not a propblem for them as they put him on a hide over water.
My first day hunting was one of my worst days ever. I saw lots of great game but could not shoot. I missed two impalas clean at 120 yards and I wounded a blue wildebeast. I was as low as I can be. I can shoot. My rifle hits..But not that day. I had lost confidence in myself and my gun. I know my gun if fine in my heart. So it is just me. I left a wounded animal in the field. At this time I was at a very low point.
The next day Ockert gets to camp. This is the PF I will hunt with for the rest of my trip. He helped my climb out of my low and suggested I used a rifle with a more powerful scope and he loaned a 300 winmag to me. We went to the range and then out hunting.
After that gained my confidence back and here are the results…
I could go on forever about this hunt. The people at Hartzview are incredible. Ockert, Jacques, and the rest are second to none. The accomidations were fantastic. We ate like kings. The chef Herbert is a master of his craft.
We plan on going back in 2016 and hunting with them again.
